


You've Got a Friend in Me

by Fatale (femme)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Humor, M/M, au: toy story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 03:23:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17779658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/femme/pseuds/Fatale
Summary: "Alec Lightwood," Alec said, taking his hand reluctantly."Deputy.""Sheriff," Alec corrected stiffly."I do love a man in uniform," the warlock said with an easy, flirtatious grin. "Magnus Bane.""You must be a new toy on the market," Alec said cautiously. "I haven't seen any commercials for you.""Ah, you keep up on toy releases?" Magnus asked."I dabble."---a toy story au.





	You've Got a Friend in Me

 

header by cryptidbane  


  
Alec slid down the jump rope, grabbed hold of the last railing spindle, spun around, and planted his feet on the staircase landing, his plastic boots smacking against the hardwood with a plastic click.

He checked that the coast was clear and gestured back to Jace, who made a series of complicated and what Alec suspected were made up motions with his right hand and yelled back over his shoulder, "Come on, men." Behind him, Meliorn rolled his eyes but followed his orders. A line of army men came marching down the stairs, one after the other.

Jace wasn't what he'd call a born leader, but when it counted, he was well liked, respected. Alec envied him his easy grace, his innate ability to lead. Jace was _popular_. He'd become a leader through charisma, unlike Alec himself, who led through sheer bullheadedness. Between the two, he privately thought Jace got the better end of the deal.

"Do you think Andy's going to get any more G.I. Joes for his birthday?" Jace asked, scuttling up behind him. Though he tried to hide it, he was worried. The line of men behind him came to a halt. Even further back, Meliorn, who often reminded everyone that he was an _adult's action figure_ from a renowned German company and certainly _not_ a toy, skidded to a graceful stop.

Alec was all long legs, tall, slim, with a cowboy hat at a jaunty angle. In his more insecure moments, he worried he was hopelessly staid, old fashioned.

"Why would he need more of them when he has you?" Alec asked.

Jace knocked into him with his shoulder companionably and didn't answer as Alec raised his binoculars to spy on the birthday party.

"They're done," Alec said with a soft sigh, relieved.

Just as Alec tucked away his binoculars, one of the men shouted, "Sir!" and Alec swung back, snapping open his binoculars. Through them, he could see one large package wrapped in newspaper. Beside him, Jace snorted rudely. "Who invited that kid? _Lame_."

"Shhh,"Alec hissed, watching Andy tear open the package. He hated when Jace called things lame because he privately worried Jace thought the same about him.

Out of the paper, the gift was plastic-wrapped, an action figure of some kind. On the cardboard backing, Alec could see the words  _The Warlock_  emblazoned in bright, awkward lettering.

This, Alec thought, frowning, could be a real problem.

 

\---

 

Back in Andy's bedroom, Alec crept toward the bed where Andy had excitedly dumped the majority of his gifts while the kids from the party went outside to play. Sports. Andy was getting older and some part of Alec shivered unpleasantly at that. Nobody brought a cowboy doll to sports games; he wouldn't be going on Andy's first date or prom. Time stopped for no man; it marched on like the endless plastic soldiers without a guiding hand.

There was no guarantee anyone after Andy would want him.

He picked at the threads of his frayed denim vest unhappily.

Alec had been a family heirloom for three generations. He'd been around the block a time or two; unfortunately, Alec was pretty sure that block was totally lame and dated.

He twisted his fist in the edge of the comforter and climbed his way up. It was some Avengers mess, Andy's newest infatuation, and he'd spent the past year watching beloved friends be replaced with annoying action figures and movie memorabilia. As he was climbing, he made sure to stomp extra hard on Thor's blankly grinning face before swinging himself up.

On top of the messy pile of toys, stood a fancy looking toy with a vest, trousers that were literally painted on, and a deep purple cape. He had a row of tiny gold rings on each finger, smoky dark eyes. Alec's stomach gave a little lurch. He was everything Alec wasn't: sexy, mysterious, _becaped_.

"Well, _hello_ ," the toy said, spotting Alec and extending a ringed hand. 

"Alec Lightwood," Alec said, taking his hand reluctantly.

"Deputy."

"Sheriff," Alec corrected stiffly.

"I do love a man in uniform," the warlock said with an easy, flirtatious grin. "Magnus Bane."

"You must be a new toy on the market," Alec said cautiously. "I haven't seen any commercials for you."

"Ah, you keep up on toy releases?" Magnus asked.

"I dabble."

 

\---

 

A week into his stay and Alec had decided he did not care for this Magnus Bane.

"Give him a chance," Izzy said.

"Be nice," Clary said.

"I don't trust anyone in a purple cape," Jace said, scowling. He spit on the blade of his knife as he sharpened it.

What drove Alec beyond crazy, was that somehow, in the space of a long, stress-filled week, Magnus had convinced all the other toys he could do actual, real magic. Alec had been busy. He stopped a bank from being robbed, fought off a nest of vampires and those plastic monkeys, even reenacted a nonsensical scene from the Wiggles for Andy's little sister. He was exhausted and had better things to do than convince people that some crazy wizard couldn't do real magic.

The next time Alec ran into Magnus, he was shuffling a tiny deck of cards for the small crowd that had gathered. Wherever he went, people seemed to follow.

"Pick a card, any card," Magnus said to Mr. Potato Head.

Mr. Potato Head slid a card out from the middle and showed the tittering crowd.

"Put it face down on the top," Magnus instructed and began shuffling the deck furiously, fingers moving so fast, they were almost a blur. "Now, I've found your card."

"No way," Mr. Potato Head said. "Couldn't have."

"Jace," Magnus said to a startled-looking Jace hovering warily at the edge of the crowd. "Check your pocket."

Jace scowled and unbuttoned his cargo pocket and fished around inside. A second later, he pulled out one shiny white card. "Jack of Spades," he announced, turning the card over in his hands.

Everyone burst out in applause.

"How did you do that?" Jace asked, eyebrows lowered suspiciously.

"Magic," Magnus said, winking.

"Prove it," Alec said, stepping out from behind a stack of books.

Magnus sniffed. "I believe I just did."

Alec couldn't stand him, couldn't stand his arrogance, or the little fluttery feeling in the pit of his stomach when Magnus looked his way.

"I don't believe in magic," Alec said. "It's a trick, it's a cheat. It always is."

"A universe without magic?" Magnus said softly. He was no longer grinning. "That sounds like a very grim place to live."

 

\---

 

Alec began avoiding Magnus, spent more and more time on pointless tasks. Tried and failed to corral the monkeys and legos. "Damnit," Alec cursed, stepping on a lego. He gave it a hard kick and watched, dismayed, as it skidded under the bed.

The space beneath a young boy's bed was no laughing matter. There was no end to horrors found there; dirty laundry, dust bunnies roughly the size and shape of Minnesota.

Alec was tempted to just leave the lego down there, but sighed and rolled his eyes at himself. He was a completionist, a hard worker.

He was definitely not afraid of the dark.

Alec dropped to his knees and crawled under the bed, looking around. Of course, the lego was near the far end, and Alec scooted over there as quickly as he could and swiped up the offending toy. He crawled out from beneath the bed and found himself on the opposite side of the room, just in front of the dresser. Movement caught his eyes and he titled his head back, shielding his face and adjusting the brim of his cowboy hat. A hint of cape peeked over the edge of the dresser.

Overcome with curiosity, Alec tucked the lego in his pocket and looked around.

There was a stack of boxes next to the dresser and Alec climbed them to the top, huffing as he pulled himself up and over the edge.

He found Magnus studying himself in the mirror above the dresser, painstakingly applying paint to his eyelids. Tiny cans of color, obviously pilfered from a paint by numbers kit, lay open at his feet. His rings, Alec noted, had become sharper, more intricate, and clearly had his initials inscribed on the top.

"Are you fixing yourself?" Alec spluttered. "You can't do that."

"Just did," Magnus said, dropping the paintbrush.

He had lined his eyes in dark, varnished his nails black. Alec had to admit that the effect was, frankly, alluring.

"The original workmanship left some to be desired," Magnus said, blowing at the drying paint on his rings.

Alec tugged at the loose thread on his shirtsleeve self-consciously. Now that he knew where to look, yes, the original workmanship had been shoddy. Alec had assumed he was some fancy, limited edition toy, but now Alec began to doubt himself. Shaky lines, rough-hewn mold edges. Magnus might paint over them, but they were still there.

Alec thought he was pretty spectacular anyway.

Magnus grinned at Alec a little self-deprecatingly. "I know you're a vintage toy with impeccable craftsmanship, so I doubt you'd understand. Generic factory toys aren't handled with great care."

Alec had never thought of himself like that before, as something special, desirable, and he'd never thought of Magnus as anything but. It seemed incomprehensible that anyone would look at him and think _generic_.

Magnus shrugged with studied nonchalance. "I'm just a knockoff toy from across the world. A second-rate Dr. Strange. That's why you hadn't heard of me," Magnus said. He was still gently blowing on his rings and wouldn't meet Alec's eyes.

Impulsively, Alec reached out. "I think you're pretty great," Alec said, touching his hand.

 

\---

 

The next day, Alec found Magnus with his hands in his pockets, staring up at a high open window. The breeze was blowing, pushing back the navy curtains.

"It's dangerous up there for a toy," Alec warned. "Who knows what could happen?"

Magnus turned towards him. "I'm willing to find out if you are."

 

\---

 

The sun was out and it was a beautiful day. Alec and Magnus were sitting in the window, legs kicked over the side. Magnus was shuffling a deck of cards, face tilted up towards the sun. Alec was facing Magnus, studying him carefully,

Magnus snapped his fingers and turned the top card over. Amazingly, it was the nine of clubs, the card Alec had just picked. "Just requires a bit of magic and belief."

"You'e not magic," Alec insisted but still confused. He dropped his head down and peered at the bottom of the cards, turned Magnus' hands over with his own, letting his fingers settle a beat too long on his wrists. Magnus, he noted, didn't pull away.

"Why is this so hard for you to believe?"

"I only believe in magic I can see, magic I can feel. This is just--I don't know what."

Magnus shuffled the cards and the nine of clubs disappeared back into the deck. "Do you want to try again?"

"Fine," Alec huffed.

"Pick a card."

Alec slid a card out from the middle of the stack and flipped it over. Ace of hearts. "Very funny," he muttered, stomach lurching uncomfortably.

"You picked the card." Magnus gave his deck a nervous little shuffle and set them aside in the corner of the window.

"And you're going to find it?" Alec said, staring down at the card with its row of tiny red hearts.

"Not this time, I don't think," Magnus said. They were sitting very close. "This time, I think I'm going to let you keep it." He looked down at his hands. "That is, if you want to."

It was early spring. The window was freshly painted a light, pale blue, nearly the same shade as the clear sky. Somewhere nearby, a robin warbled sweetly. It was the kind of day one didn't question beauty or unexpected gifts.

Alec felt the edge of the stiff card press into his palm. "I want it," he said. His voice sounded gruff, wondering.

"I know you don't believe in magic," Magnus said, still studying his nails. Alec wished he'd look up. He wanted to see Magnus' eyes. "But I was made in Indonesia, sat on the shelf for years, watching other toys get bought until the store went out of business. The contents of the store were bought wholesale and I was shipped across the world to this random city in this random state. I was picked off a shelf as a last minute gift for a birthday party. Somehow, through a series of events, a trick of circumstance, I ended up in this very room with you."

"So?" Alec asked, bewildered.

And then Magnus looked up. His eyes were dark and warm and fond, a little _too_ knowing, and Alec found himself unable to look away, helplessly drawn into Magnus' orbit like always. "Against all odds, I found you. If that's not magic, what is?"

Maybe, Alec thought, magic was less a wild, untamable element of the universe and more the matter that made up all possibilities, a flame slowly ignited or courage blossoming in the chest.

Alec felt his pulse in his throat, the warmth of the sun beating down on him. He leaned in close, eyes sliding shut, and felt the soft press of Magnus' lips beneath his.

Behind his closed eyelids, Alec saw blue sparks.

 

 


End file.
